Saturday, May 24, 2008

The surreal sight of about twenty to twenty-five pro Hillary protesters today at downtown Jacksonville's Hemming Park had an undeniable strange and surreal quality about it for anyone observing along the side lines with a sense of our state and national history. Several times with their picket signs held high adorned with a variety of Hillary bumper-stickers, hand-written slogans and chants of "count our vote!" they made their way around the park whose centerpiece is a an old 110 year old monument to the veterns of the Conferate States of America and their service. That history and the juxtaposition with the events unfolding before us today would give anyone with that sense a reason to pause and attempt context.

The group of predominanty Aftrican -American demonstrators in the shadow of the old Confederate soldier perched atop a 62 foot high Vermont granite column seemed to go mostly unnoticed by the citizenry that happed by. For this observer, who is very well aware of that history, the events unfolding before me presented a bwildering perspective of ironies that actually took me a few minutes to sort out becore I could fully understand what I was witnessing.First, there is the Confederate soldier overlooking Hemming Park. Any knowing observer immediately recognizes that the old Rebel is facing south with a steady emotionless gaze. There is no doubt this was the intent of the original builders. The direction reflects an homage to the past and the ideals and values that past represented. I am always struck by individuals that tell me they are only honoring the heritage of the south, not the offending practices it once promoted in the ownershop of another human being. That "heritage" includes a Constitution where Articles I and IV make it crystal clear that slavery is a critical component of what the CSA was about as it defined the institutionality of the custom and the legal framework for it. On the other hand the option of a northernly direction would have included the general direction of Illinois where President Lincoln, the architect of the CSA's demise, lies entombed. How prophetic then that the tomb in Springfield, even after 52,269 days, still represents the hopes and aspirations for all those descendents that believed in that cause and that our better days were before us. The candidacy of Senator Obama, whose entire campaign is based on Hope and what the future holds, reflects what that tomb in Springfield represents. The dicotomy is striking. As for the material used to build the 62 foot column perch for the old Confederate to stand on in eternity it was imported from Vermont, one of the northern states with a hand in the demise of the very institution the old Rebel represented.Then there was the fact I was watching a group, albeit a small one, that was predominantly African-American supporting the frist serious white female candidate for the highest office in the land in an historical ground breaking candidacy over the equally historical and ground breaking candidacy of the first probable nominee of African American descent with a real shot at becoming President of the United States. It was hard not to smile at the scene playing out before me as I recounted in my mind the streneous and extreme efforts the MSM media has gone through, and still coninues at this very moment, to paint the African American voter as a monolithic voting bloc. Let's forget for a moment that this meme presented by the major American media outlets is in of itself enabling the institutional racisim still symptomatic of the corporate mindset as representated by the major media conglomerates. Its the fact that the reality on the ground is so heavily contrasted against the picture painted by the punditocracy and the network talking heads that is so striking. It has become quite amusing to watch the movers and shakers of the network news divisions dance around their Potemkin village of credibility in the face of an imploding demographic base.

More than that though it was annoying to this observer watching the protesters succomb to the alternate reality presented by the news media, and taken advantage of by Hillary's campaign. At the end of the day the only thing the small contingent of picketers seemed to achieve was a demonstration of their ignorance of the political process of the Democratic Party and the rules of the primary system. Even more annoying is the fact that Hillary Clinton knows better. Both the Florida and Michigan state delegations would have been seated under any circumstances as their swing state value would have dicatated. Once Barack Obama had been confirmed with the power accorded the convention nominee he would have made sure of it. State convention delegates are critical for local and statewide organizational efforts on behalf of the presidential campaign in the general electional. What's playing out is Hillary taking advantage of the scheming state GOP dominated legislature here in Florida and their meddling by forcing the state Democratic party into a position where their party by-laws were broken. I've already posted about is issue on this blog here and two other sites here and here. As the MSM continues to promote the false idea the state Democratic party shot itself in the foot with unseated state delegations Hillary has rode that meme to try and have the delegation seated on her terms.

As I tried to sort out the maze of ironies floating around in my head while the old Confederate soldier looked on at a scene that would have been unimaginable for the original attendees, that included former cotton plantation owner, Gov. William Bloxham, at the dedication ceremonies for the monument on June 16, 1898. It was indeed a morning filled with ironies as the protesters marched on. One can only hope the legacies of all those tried to forge a better nation will live on through those that hold that same promise today.*

Update: I see Corrine Brown (D, FL-3) (who happens to be my Congressional Representative), as befitting her status as a Hillary surrogate, has thrown her two cents in as reported on the First Coast News site. So 400 voters are going to head up to the D.C. DNC offices to rally the HQ to seat our delegation even though it will happen anyway. The only thing that concerns me more than the fact that the expense of the trip at nearly $4.00+ a gallon which is for all practical purposes cost prohibative, is that it's going to make those 400 individuals look like they've been taken advantage of. But the real knife in the FDP solar plexus is that somewhere Marco Rubio (R, FL-111), the GOP Speaker of the Florida House and Ken Pruitt (R, FL-28), the GOP President of the Florida Senate will nearly go into apoplexy laughing so hard at the fruit of their efforts at our expense. Thank you Hillary, Corrine and the local / MSM media. Your job is done here.

Update III:Markos of Daily Kos makes a great point about Hillary and you can add Corrine Brown into the mix as well - where the hell were you guys in Febrary and March when you had a chance to raise hell about this issue in the first place?

*The orignial text of this post has been edited due to formating errors that omitted original text upon initial submisson.

2 Comments:

Wow, I mean I came over here to tell you thanks but dug this post so much now I'll be stuck here READING.

I'm so stunned that you even take the time to READ my blog.Far and away if I'd been able to take the time I'd have nominated you for like BEST OF BEST.You and sunny kenny and of course the crazy sinfonian are my favorites (as you know)I haven't been to FPC yet. I'm still ... ummmm recovering from the fact that you read my blog (liking it? I'll be in denial about that for awhile)THANKS !!

Oh and wish I'd been there to see this and to fpc to nominate and participate. I haven't been online much at ALL lately. an hour here and there.... (and the outrage is building with no outlet LOL)I so love that WE Americans will not let them turn US in to the racists they'd love us to be.

Hug the family. I'm very short on time. We're doing some 'projects'that due to NO KNOWLEDGE are ... well ... lots of Gatorade helps.LOL !!

Thanks Vox for the props. I was very gratified to see your name on the nomination list. I sincerely hope you win. As for me, nobody reads this damn blog of mine, its just me ranting and getting stuff off my chest.

You are my treasured one fan and I like reading your commentary on your blog. Its different and God thanks for their being a variety in life. Keep up the good work. You know what they say about backdoors, that's where the friends come.

If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."